Page 35 of The Missing Book
Lord Melford grinned, his eyes twinkling. “She is here with Lord Huggan, a friend of my brother’s. He wrote a note this morning to her, asking if she would like to take a walk through the Temple and truth be told, I do not know who was more astonished, Broughton or Anna herself!”
This made Amelia laugh despite her wariness and concern. Lord Melford seemed so jovial, so amiable that it was difficult for her to think of him stealing such books. Besides which, what purpose would he have for them? Trying to think about how she might return the conversation to the books, Amelia gestured to Anna. “She has told me of your interest in her friend, Lady Gwendoline.” Keeping her tone light, she watched the smile fix to Lord Melford’s face. “Lady Gwendoline is quite a lovely young lady, I think.”
“Anna should not have said anything.” Lord Melford’s brow furrowed. “Please, Lady Amelia, do not say a word about this to any other. There is a friendship between us, that is all.”
“Oh?” Amelia feigned ignorance. “That is a great pity for I do think her quite a lovely creature and your visits to her will have meant more to her than mere friendship, I am quite certain. Every young lady is told that if a gentleman calls upon them repeatedly, they are to expect something more.”
A clearing of the throat was her only response.
“I am also afraid that your sister does not quite believe you in that regard either,” she said, as Lord Melford threw her a glance. “She did also said something to me that I found to be quite astute.”
Lord Melford lifted an eyebrow.
“She does not believe you, as I have said, but instead is quite insistent that something is hindering this connection. She sees you are pulling towards secrecy instead of honesty.” Speaking softly, she took a step closer to him. “I know she wonders why that is, though she did think there might be somethingpreventing Lady Gwendoline from accepting your courtship. Mayhap another gentleman?
Lord Melford sniffed, grimaced, and looked away. “Anna should try to keep her thoughts to herself.”
“Lady Gwendoline’s father is a little impoverished, from what I understand,” Amelia continued, pressing gently albeit carefully. She did not want Lord Melford to think she was prying. “Does that in itself present a difficulty for you?”
“For me?” Lord Melford snorted and ran one hand over his chin. “I can assure you, Lady Amelia, there isnothingin that regard that would prevent me from pursuing a lady I cared for.IfI cared for her, that is.”
Amelia held his gaze, waiting for him to say more. Lord Melford let out a long and heavy sigh, closing his eyes briefly.
“Lady Amelia, you are quite persistent.”
Again, she stayed silent.
“IfI cared for Lady Gwendoline, the only thing to prevent me would be my brother,” he said, a heaviness in his expression and a weight rounding his shoulders. “He has made it quite clear that she is not a suitable match and given his character, his demands for near perfection, and his insistence that things are done to his satisfaction, I cannot even consider Lady Gwendoline. The strain it would cause, the difficulty and the brokenness that would follow would be too great.” He turned to face her so that his eyes searched hers. “Please, do not say a word of this to anyone. I shall also beg of you to tell Anna not to say anything either. Things are already difficult enough.”
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Amelia to stare after him in the greatest astonishment. The gentleman had told her more than she had ever expected to hear but, with that, there came a great relief that something more had come to light.
Ever so slowly, fragments of conversations and remarks began to come back to her, slotting together to create a picture in her mind. She thought of Lady Gwendoline, of Lady Anna, of Lord Melford and Lord Broughton. She thought of the books, of the money they would be worth, of the four books over the three. She thought of Lord Broughton’s apology, of Lady Anna’s frustration when they had first met, of Lord Melford’s begging at this very moment.
And then, in one swift, beautiful, overwhelming moment, it all made sense.
She had it.
Amelia looked around the room,seeing every face staring back at her, though Miss Trentworth was slowly beginning to smile. She had only just finished explaining about Baron Wishart but now, there was more for her to say. More that, she hoped, would bring an end to this mystery.
“So we have the name of one of the gentlemen who stole the books,” Amelia said again, just to clarify the situation. “Baron Wishart. He was speaking to Lady Gwendoline, though it may have been entirely innocent, of course.”
“But Lady Gwendoline is closely connected to Lord Melford,” Miss Trentworth said, as Amelia nodded. “And we believe Lord Melford to have been involved in some way with the theft of the books.”
Hesitating, Amelia considered and then spread out her hands. “I have a theory if you would all like to hear it?”
The excited murmurs from her friends made her smile.
“Very well,” she began, taking in a deep breath and then letting it out in its entirety before she began. “You see, LordMelford and Lady Gwendoline begin to realize their interest in each other goes further than a friendship only. At the same time, however, Lord Broughton says, quite clearly, to Lord Melford that Lady Gwendoline is not at all suitable. It is only in a passing comment or two but it is made quite clear to him that Lady Gwendoline is not someone he can pursue.”
“Even though he wants to,” Miss Sherwood said, as Amelia nodded. “That must have been difficult for him to hear.”
“He did state initially that he had no desire to court her and that she was only a friend to him but I did not believe him, just as Lady Anna did not,” Amelia continued, her heartbeat quickening as she continued her explanation. “Lord Melford begged me to keep my thoughts to myself, did not want for me to say a single word to anyone. But I believe that there may well have been a reason for his involvement in these book thefts.”
There was silence in the room as all the bluestockings looked at her.
“Love,” Amelia said, softly. “Lord Melford wishes to marry Lady Gwendoline. However, given that her father is impoverished, I can imagine that her dowry will be less than substantial, though I am also quite sure that such a thing will mean very little to him! But for Lord Broughton, it will be a severe issue.”
Lady Isobella gasped, her eyes rounding as one hand flew to her mouth. “He stole the books to improve her dowry?”
